As ESPN prepares to launch it’s new morning show “Get Up,” the question of how to tackle politics as it relates to the sports world is once again a question the network will have to answer. But it’s an issue the network says it’s well-equipped to handle.

“This particular political cycle is unusual by the standards of history,” Bill Wolff, ESPN vice president of studio production, said at the Television Critics Association press tour on Friday, adding that he believes the network is “well prepared” to navigate this new era.

Not only has politics seeped into sports coverage in the Trump era, but the rise of social media has made ESPN hosts even more vulnerable to saying something that could stir outrage. ESPN knows this tenuous era well, following widespread criticism both of “SportsCenter” host Jemele Hill’s anti-Trump tweet and of the network’s decision to punish her for it.

“I think that company-wide there is a really good understanding that we really are in the business of sports and that our responsibility is entertainment as it regards to sports,” Wolff said, adding that the new social media guidelines instituted by the company following the uproar over Hill’s tweets have been “effective.”

“People come to use to be diverted from the issues of the world at large and focus on basketball or football,” he said. “Something where the stakes aren’t quite as high as they are in the rest of the world. It is an adjustment that involves hundreds of people who are outward facing public people. Each of the people has to make the judgment every time about what to do … I think people understand what the message of ESPN is.”

Mike Greenberg, one of the hosts of “Get Up” alongside Michelle Beadle and Jalen Rose, said that he understands that his role as the host of a sports talk show means that his audience isn’t looking to him for political commentary.

“Everyone has to approach this to whatever degree they feel comfortable with,” he said. “[But] the people who have been listening to me on the radio or watching me on TV or follow me on social media, are there because they want my opinion on sports. That’s what they’re coming to me for. They go other places when they want other things.”

Rose, for his part, said that his followers expect slightly different, and he doesn’t feel “muzzled” by ESPN in speaking to that.

“My audience … does expect me to be politically, socially conscious, not only as it relates to sports,” he said. “I’m really passionate about giving back to my community, being a leader of my community and being outspoken about injustices that I see in our country and throughout the world.”

“There is a fine balance to that level of discipline and being able to articulate yourself, but I don’t feel constrained at all,” he said.

John Skipper Fallout: 9 Possible Replacements to Run ESPN (Photos)

ESPN president John Skipper announced his resignation from the Disney-owned Worldwide Leader in Sports on Monday, citing a "substance addiction" struggle.

While the 61-year-old executive takes care of his personal issues, it is the problem of Disney chairman Bob Iger and interim ESPN president George Bodenheimer to find a replacement for Skipper. In the spirit of the holidays, TheWrap did most of the legwork for those guys, identifying nine top possible successors to interview for the post. Scroll through to gallery to see them all.

Former president of ESPN turned current interim president of ESPN turned future president of ESPN? The guy who handed his job over to Skipper is assuming the role until he and Bob Iger find a suitable successor. You know, or until they give up and the 59-year-old Bodenheimer gives ESPN his life again. You have to consider Bodenheimer on a list like this, though he's pretty much a retiree already.

How many promotions can one guy take? Schell was just upped in June to ESPN's Executive Vice President of Content, where he is responsible for overseeing all aspects of ESPN’s content creation across television, digital and print platforms. That said, he lacks some business-side experience and needs a bit of polish to be the public face of ESPN. But he does have an Oscar.

The EVP, affiliate sales and marketing, Disney & ESPN Media Networks is actually the likely frontrunner for the Worldwide Leaders in Sports' top job -- or at least that's what we're told the current rumblings inside ESPN state. After all, he graduated from Harvard -- twice. Go ahead and get a jumpstart on his new business cards.

Although ESPN is hyperaware of the optics of hiring another white man for the job, the female ESPN CFO probably doesn't actually have enough content experience for the job. Skipper's old post also requires a bit of glad-handing, which we're told isn't exactly Driessen's strong suit.

David Preschlack: The NBC Sports Regional Networks president is an ESPN alum -- and what he used to work on there may be as valuable as what Preschlack manages now. At ESPN, Preschlack handled oversight of content distributed on computers, smartphones, tablets and connected devices -- he also oversaw the U.S. cable, telco and satellite affiliate sales, global distribution and strategy, digital video distribution and affiliate marketing. Now he's got 9 RSNs under his thumb. Considering ESPN-owner Disney just bought 22 of those in the Fox deal...

Another female candidate! (Unfortunately, as you'll notice by the end of this gallery, no people of color on the current list.) Facebook COO Sandberg has a great tech background, obviously, and she also sits on the Disney advisory board -- so there are ties here. Anyone could learn sports, right? This job is more about tech, digital and mobile than you may think.

Wait -- tech and sports? I mean, come on. The Amazon alum is currently the CEO of BAMTech, the digital media company spun off by Major League Baseball’s MLB Advanced Media. Guess which rich cartoon mouse owns part of BAMTech? Yep, that one.

The president of Fox Sports Regional Networks may be headed in Disney's direction anyway. Krolik currently oversees the day-to-day operations of Fox Sports’ 22 regional sports networks, the largest such RSN group in the country. That group is going to Disney as part of the mega Fox deal -- presumably, so is he. It stands to reason that the folks at the un-sold Fox Sports 1 channel will stay put, but he might have a different story.

From in-house execs and alums to total outsiders, TheWrap has narrowed down Bob Iger’s Christmas — err, interview — list

ESPN president John Skipper announced his resignation from the Disney-owned Worldwide Leader in Sports on Monday, citing a "substance addiction" struggle.

While the 61-year-old executive takes care of his personal issues, it is the problem of Disney chairman Bob Iger and interim ESPN president George Bodenheimer to find a replacement for Skipper. In the spirit of the holidays, TheWrap did most of the legwork for those guys, identifying nine top possible successors to interview for the post. Scroll through to gallery to see them all.